Sandals Barbados

After a long journey from the UK it was great to have a short transfer time from the airport. Our mini bus dropped guests at the Royal Barbados first and then continued to drop us at Sandals Barbados. We stayed for 2 weeks and thoroughly enjoyed so many aspects of our holiday, there were also, sadly, a few negatives. Check- In was swift, and included a welcome drink; however we were not asked to provide Credit Card details at the time so thankfully when I visited the spa during our holiday I had cash with me to cover the tip as this could not be charged to the room. We then made sure that we lodged our Credit Card details with the Club Lounge so that we could charge items to the room for the remainder of the holiday. Throughout our holiday when using the Club Lounge we noted that we rarely saw the same member of staff more than once and this seemed a shame as it is nice to get to know members of the team especially when on holiday for 14 nights. We had booked an OJS room overlooking the ocean and all rooms in this building have recently been renovated. Although we would definitely stay at this resort in the future we would not book an OJS room. In each room there is a filter, separate to the air-conditioning unit, which we found to be quite noisy - we pointed this out when we were first shown to the room and Miracle, who was checking us in, did make a call for us to see if this noise could be reduced on a room by room basis. Unfortunately this could not be achieved so after 2 nights of sleeping in that room we asked formally if anything could be done or if we could move room. We were shown other rooms, in the same building by Dexter, and were accompanied by the on-site Chief Engineer as he was interested to hear the noise after the recent renovations. This confirmed that the noise was in fact in all rooms in this block overlooking the Calypso Pool. There were not many alternatives that could be offered to us due to the extensive refurbishments that were taking place on the 'Royal' side of the resort at the time of our visit and the fact that we were there for 14 nights so we opted to stay in the same room but had to sleep using ear plugs. The finish to the room itself was overall poor, lighting was limited and the bedside lamps could only be operated from one side of the bed and only then by getting out of the bed to reach the switch. The door to the bathroom was on a metal runner which was splattered with paint and in some places looked rusty. As the door was on a runner it left a gap of about an inch or more between the door and the room itself meaning that if someone came to the door to deliver something to the room they could see in to the shower in the bathroom - not ideal. Twice when we returned to the room after a day round the pool we had not been left fresh towels and had to ring for them to be delivered - on both occasions we had to wait approx 30 mins. The door of the Safety Deposit Box faced in to the wardrobe making it difficult to access belongings from it due to clothes hanging up. During our first week Spices restaurant was still being re-modelled and breakfast was served instead in the Bombay restaurant, which was lovely, as was breakfast at Schooners. Our favourite lunchtime restaurant was Neptunes where you can sit overlooking the ocean. There was a wide menu to choose from and the service was prompt and courteous. and the food freshly cooked. Personally we were not so keen on the buffet lunches served at the American Tavern and Spices (when it re-opened) as we found the choices to be quite limited, but that was just personal taste. During our first week we attended the Returning Guests dinner which was a fabulous occasion: it's always good to hear directly from the management team. For dinner our favourite restaurants were Butches, both on the Barbados and Royal side and across the holiday we made a number of visits. Kimonos was great fun and Soy was fabulous for fresh sushi. We were slightly disappointed with La Parisienne as on both visits we felt rushed, even though our bookings were for 8pm; such a shame as the food was beautiful. (Restrooms by La Parisienne require some attention. In the ladies there were 3 cubicles and on one particular evening, one was blocked, one had no door and the lock on the remaining cubicle door didn't work). Unfortunately on the evening we tried to eat at Chi there were 32 other guests on the waiting list ahead of us, so it's clearly very popular . Maybe this should be added to the list of restaurants that require pre-booking. The Merry Monkey offered basic pub type food and was often very busy. The drinks here were great and the service provided by Jose was friendly and prompt. On a few evenings it did get particularly warm in the pub, not sure if there was an issue with the air conditioning. Lovers Lane and the Sky Bar were also great for drinks in the evening -it was well worth taking the umbrella from the room with us some evenings to keep us dry whilst walking from venue to venue. Time spent around the pool was great - it pays to have a good walk round the resort on your first day to see which of the many pools will suit you best as they each have a different 'vibe'. Sunbeds were reserved fairly early in the morning at the Calypso Pool. Access to the beach was easy and there was never any shortage of beds. Each day was different in terms of the amount of seaweed but the beach itself was beautiful. The gardens and grounds are well maintained. The spa treatment I had was great - thank you Sasha. I used the spa on the Royal side - it was beautifully laid out and everything was well explained. Towards the end of our holiday, due to the issues we had with our room, we were shown a number of different style rooms across the property that we will consider for a future visit - thank you to Dexter for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for us we certainly appreciated it. On our last day our flight home was delayed so our transfer to the airport was delayed accordingly by Sandals allowing us more time in resort - thank you.

My husband and I love Sandals and will visit other Sandals locations in the future but I’ve got to review this location because it was not the experience we had at the prior three Sandals locations we’ve been to. We had butler service as we always do and although they were nice, they were horrible at their jobs. Between the three of them, they managed to drop the ball several times, reserving cabs, our loungers at the pool, to list a couple. There seemed to be something everyday and the level of attention that is Sandals was missing. Others at the resort raved about their butlers so we must have had the B Team?? Overall service at Sandals Barbados was just not what we were expecting and wasn’t the Sandals we know.

We visited Butches Chop House, the food was amazing! Staff went above and beyond to meet our requirements. In fact all the restaurants we have been to have been great! Resort is a little too lively for us, but all the staff are fabulous! Jennelle and Kadri were amazing in the Butch’s restaurant!

We booked our honeymoon through Virgin, and when choosing our hotel, we were well aware of the reputation Sandals has. As this was a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for us, we wanted to do it properly and felt confident that Sandals would deliver the experience we were hoping for. Unfortunately, we were let down — not by the food, the room, the facilities or even the weather, but by the service and attitude of many of the staff. There seemed to be a real attitude problem among a number of staff members, with many giving the impression that they simply did not want to be there. I work in hospitality myself, and regardless of what a customer is paying, whether they are staying at the most expensive level or the most basic, every guest should be treated with the same level of courtesy, friendliness and respect. At Sandals, however, we often felt as though we were a hindrance or a nuisance rather than valued guests. A perfect example was our visits to the Paris Café. On several occasions, we ordered a crepe, only to be met with huffing and an attitude that made it feel as though we were asking for something completely unreasonable. These were items being openly advertised, so it was extremely disappointing to feel uncomfortable simply for ordering them. We experienced a similar lack of warmth in the restaurants. The hosts often appeared to be reading from a script, with very little interest in engaging with us beyond saying, “Follow me to your table.” We regularly made the effort to ask how they were and how their day was going, yet on several occasions there was either no response or a very minimal one. It made the experience feel incredibly impersonal. Unfortunately, our experience with the honeymoon package was equally disappointing. Before arriving, we had researched the Sandals website and found the complimentary honeymoon upgrade, which included champagne on arrival, a special turndown service with roses on the first night, and breakfast in bed on a day of our choice. As this was our honeymoon, these were things we had genuinely been looking forward to. On arrival, we were shown to our room, but there was no champagne. I initially said to my husband that perhaps it would arrive later that evening with the turndown service. Brian showed us around the room and actually pointed out that we were missing a bottle of champagne from the fridge, as well as two umbrellas from the wardrobe. He assured us that he would arrange for these to be provided straight away. The umbrellas never arrived. In fact, by the time we checked out 10 days later, we still had not received them. We also had to visit Reception four separate times to ask about our honeymoon package, only to be given various excuses, including “sales are on their lunch” and “sales have gone home for the day.” We were repeatedly told that apparently nothing could be done without them. A few days into our holiday, following our final visit to Reception, we eventually received a knock at the door with our champagne, a basic card and the breakfast ordering form. At least progress was finally being made — although, unfortunately, the honeymoon experience we had been expecting was already somewhat lost. We decided to order our breakfast in bed on our two-week wedding anniversary as a special treat. We carefully read through the form and ticked and circled everything as required. There were no further instructions or notes explaining that anything additional needed to be requested, so we presumed we would be receiving a substantial breakfast as part of the honeymoon package. What arrived was a cup of coffee, one glass of orange juice to share between the two of us, and some very soggy toast. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. Ironically, we then received a welfare call from housekeeping, during which we mentioned how disappointing the breakfast had been. The response was simply a thank you for the feedback, followed by the call ending. At that point, we could only laugh about it and went to the restaurant to get ourselves some actual food. Thankfully, the food throughout the resort was the highlight of the holiday. The quality was genuinely sensational across all of the restaurants and was one of the things that made the experience enjoyable despite everything else. However, sadly, we will not be returning to a Sandals resort in the future. For the price we paid, and particularly for what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon, we expected a much higher standard of service and attention to detail. We know from experience that we can receive far better service elsewhere while still enjoying equally good food. Ultimately, it was not the resort itself that ruined our experience — it was the attitude of the staff and the lack of care shown towards us as guests. For a brand with the reputation and price point of Sandals, we expected considerably more.

This is our second trip to Sandals - Barbados, and once again, we absolutely love it! The location is incredible, and there is so much to do around the resort. Whether you want to relax by the pool, enjoy the beach, try different restaurants, or take part in the activities, there is always something to enjoy. The rooms are comfortable, clean, and well maintained, and the entire resort does a great job keeping everything clean and inviting. We also really appreciate how quiet and peaceful the resort is. Even with everything going on, the noise level is never an issue, and it makes it easy to relax and enjoy your vacation. For everything that is included, we feel like Sandals offers a great value. The food, drinks, activities, entertainment, beautiful location, and overall experience make it well worth it. We also want to give a huge shout-out to Shakira, the cook at Butch’s! She was absolutely awesome! Her food was fantastic, and she was so friendly and welcoming. She definitely helped make our experience even better. After coming back for a second trip, we can honestly say that Sandals Barbados feels like a place we can keep coming back to. We love it here and are already looking forward to our next trip!